Charlotte
Philip Maymin
Basketball News Services
If the first-ever regular season game of the Charlotte Bobcats -- a sellout, mind you -- had ended after three quarters, the Bobcats would have been the third consecutive expansion team to win its NBA debut. They led divisional rivals Washington 75-74 after thirty-six minutes of play, and were still tied four minutes into the fourth, but the expanded team collapsed in the last eight minutes and the Wizards won 103-96, led by Charlotte native Antawn Jamison's game-high 24 points.
Emeka Okafor is the first Bobcat to record a double-double as he got 19 points and 10 rebounds, including four on the offensive end. Primoz Brezec scored Charlotte's first basket ever, and was one rebound away from a double-double himself, clocking in at 15 points and 9 rebounds, also with four on the offensive end.
In fact, offensive rebounding was a strength of the Bobcats in this game. They had a total of 14 across five players, compared to just 11 for Washington across four players. The Bobcats also outrebounded the Wizards 28-24 on the defensive end for a total 42-35 edge.
Three things killed them. One was the extraneous fouls, notably the weak foul by Eddie House on a Juan Dixon layup that made it a three-point play and gave the Wizards a five-point lead in the fourth. Two was the numerous steals by Washington, an astonishing 14 steals, compared to just 6 by Charlotte. And three was the missed three pointers. They shot eight and made one. Had they made two more for a more respectable percentage, this would have been a one-point game.
NEXT GAME
Charlotte (0-1) takes today off but faces yet another Southeast divisional rival tomorrow night as they welcome the revamped Orlando Magic (1-0) at 7:00pm Eastern on Saturday, November 6th. The matchup features a face-off between the top two draft picks, Magic high-schooler Dwight Howard and Charlotte's own collegiate star Emeka Okafor. The game will be broadcast locally on WJZY and nationally NBA League Pass.
TEAM NOTES
The Associated Press notesonCNN.com: Nelly, an investor in the Bobcats, seemed the logical choice to either sing the national anthem or perform at halftime. He did neither. Instead, his songs played over the loudspeaker during breaks as he sat courtside next to Johnson. ... Jamison, a Charlotte native, typically has a large contingent of family and friends in the stands, but requested only 20 tickets for the opener. ... Smith and Brevin Knight, the only veterans on Charlotte's team, were unanimously elected team captains following the morning shootaround.
INJURY UPDATE
Jamal Sampson(ankle) is on the injured list along withTheron Smith(right knee injury) and Keith Bogans(pending team physical).
Rick Bonnell ofThe Charlotte Observerwrites: Steve Smith's explanation Thursday worked both literally and figuratively. "We had it in our hands and they pulled it out in the end," the Charlotte Bobcats co-captain said, after his team lost its debut, 103-96, to the Washington Wizards at the Charlotte Coliseum. "It" was the ball, and the Wizards constantly pulled it out of the Bobcats' hands. Twenty-one Bobcats turnovers resulted in 29 Wizards points. Three of those turnovers came in a crucial 41/2-minute span in which the Wizards turned a tie game into a 94-85 lead. Seven straight times, the Bobcats took possession without scoring. With that, game over for the Bobcats and a sellout crowd of 23,319.
Rick Bonnell and David Scott asked questions of David Stern inThe Charlotte Observer: Why would the Bobcats need to raise ticket prices next year?"It's a different building. If you want to stay in a coliseum, you'll get coliseum pricing. If you want to undertake a team in that building, it will be a different price structure. I don't think it will be out of line with NBA pricing. I don't think Charlotte is any less of a city than 25 other cities with, shall we way, enhanced pricing."
Jenna Fryer ofThe WCF Courierwrites: For months, the Charlotte Bobcats were nothing more than a concept with a bright orange logo.They became a reality Thursday night in their NBA debut, hanging tough in a 103-96 loss to Washington that impressed Wizards star Antawn Jamison. "They played really hard and have a lot of key components _ it was kind of hard to call them an expansion team," said Jamison, who led the Wizards with 24 points. "They've got some talented guys ... they will get a lot of upsets."
The Associated Press writes onCNN.com: Pondering whether a close loss in their NBA debut was a moral victory for the expansion Charlotte Bobcats, Emeka Okafor did his best cheerleader impersonation."I guess you see those movies where everyone is like, `Yeah! At least you guys were in there!"' he said, arms in the air and mock glee in his voice. "I guess I'd rather lose the way we did then get blown out. But I want to win."... Not everything went smoothly during the opener. The sound system in the aging Charlotte Coliseum -- where the Bobcats will play this year as their new $265 million arena is being finished -- wasn't sharp, making team owner Bob Johnson's pregame speech to the crowd difficult to hear. Traffic outside the Coliseum was backed up three hours before the game, preventing thousands of fans from arriving in time for the 7 p.m. tipoff. When four fans holding courtside tickets finally made it in midway through the first quarter, they claimed Johnson and rapper Nelly were sitting in their seats. And some things were the same as always, like the rousing cheers reserved for pro wrestler Ric Flair, a beloved Charlottean.
The Cincinnati Postwrites: Primoz Brezec fought through a double team, spun to his left and sank a layup for a 2-0 lead.With that, the NBA was back in Charlotte, N.C., after a two-year absence.